Capítulo 317: Chapter 317: It's Just Not Right!
Chapter 317: It's Just Not Right!
"Goal!!!"
"Lin Quan scores from about 50 meters away from the goal, shooting fast and accurate. Neuer, positioned too far forward, had no chance and could only watch the ball go into the net!"
"Neuer really paid the price for his aggressive positioning!"
"In previous matches, no one could punish him, but in the World Cup final, he unfortunately came up against Lin Quan!"
At the CCTV commentary booth, upon seeing the lobbed shot, the two commentators couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Neuer's positioning was like Fang Tangjing hopping back and forth on the yellow line in court, taunting 'I'm in, I'm out, I'm in again, hit me, fool!' Bao Longxing said he had never seen such a strange request, so he beat up Fang Tangjing.
Just like Bao, with Neuer standing so far forward, not lobbing a goal at him would simply be unjust.
At the German TV commentary booth, seeing their team concede made the commentators utterly despondent.
"Neuer's positioning was too aggressive!"
"Lin Quan had already tried a lobbed shot earlier; he should have been cautious!"
"Now that we're trailing, the situation is very unfavorable for us. We need to score as soon as possible."
"Right, the longer we're behind, the greater the psychological pressure on our players, and they might become increasingly desperate!"
On the Spanish bench, seeing Lin Quan score, Coach Bosque clenched his fists excitedly, let out a roar, and hugged his assistant tightly. Caught up in the emotion, Bosque didn't even notice that his chewing gum had fallen out, but the cameras captured this moment, making it an iconic scene of this World Cup.
After scoring, Lin Quan rushed to the corner flag and slid on his knees in celebration.
His teammates rushed over and slid on the grass after him, imitating his celebration.
The substitutes stormed onto the pitch to join in the celebration.
Though Lin Quan had scored countless goals in clubs and national team matches, a World Cup final goal was incomparably significant.
The quadrennial World Cup is the ultimate goal for almost all players globally, and playing in the final is more important than any other match he has ever played.
It's no exaggeration to say this goal was worth its weight in gold!
If Spain goes on to win the World Cup with this goal from Lin Quan, it might even boost the country's GDP significantly.
In the stands, Spanish fans waved banners and flags, cheering wildly for Lin Quan, the hero of the goal.
At this moment, he was a god in the eyes of the Spanish.
"Beautiful shot!"
In a private box, watching the game with his princess daughters, Spanish King Felipe VI stood up excitedly, applauding Lin Quan just like the other fans, unable to restrain his admiration.
"She's as good as Grandpa said!"
9-year-old Princess Leonor couldn't help but calculate the odds of Lin Quan completing a hat trick in this match.
With 60 minutes remaining and a goal every 30 minutes, he might actually achieve this feat in the World Cup final.
In another box, watching the goal, Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy stood up and applauded his team, turning to German Chancellor Merkel with a smile, "It seems our coach is a bit better!"
Merkel's lips twitched slightly, catching the sarcasm in his words.
Before the match, the media in both countries had a verbal battle, with Spanish media claiming Germany's passing game was borrowed from Spain.
Merkel coolly responded, "Football originated from China's Cuju, but can you see the Chinese team on the World Cup stage?"
"Just as Spain initiated the Age of Discovery when Germany was still fragmented, today Germany is the leading economy in Europe, while Spain is mired in debt."
Rajoy, sweating slightly, knew Spain's economic woes meant relying on strong economies like Germany, so he really couldn't challenge Merkel on this issue.
...
On the German side, seeing his team concede, Coach Löw couldn't help but lean back and run his hands through his hair.
If it were a battle of tactics or a stunning play that led to conceding, he could accept it.
But losing a goal like this...
It felt so wrong.
Such a loss can severely damage team morale.
Löw sighed, worriedly glancing at Neuer, hoping this wouldn't affect his performance.
But how could it not affect a player's mindset?
Frustrated, Neuer kicked the ball away; since his first encounter with Lin Quan at the Telecom Cup, it seemed he had lost every direct confrontation.
When would he ever defeat this guy?
Despite their urgency, the German fans didn't forget their role as the twelfth man.
They dutifully cheered for their team, hoping for a quick equalizer.
Germany indeed intensified their attacks.
Veteran Klose, 36, exhausted his energy battling with the Spanish defenders.
In the 35th minute, Germany displayed excellent teamwork upfront.
Thomas Müller faked a shot and passed cleverly.
Klose, receiving the pass in the right side of the box, shot without hesitation.
The angle was tight, and Casillas blocked it well; the ball bounced back into the box.
Müller attempted a follow-up shot but was beaten to the ball by Ramos.
Spain counterattacked quickly, sending the ball into Germany's box after just three passes.
This time, Germany's defense held firm, Boateng withstanding Diego Costa's charge, making the shot an easy save for Neuer.
After this successful defense, Germany's defenders congratulated each other, with Boateng feeling vindicated.
He realized that against nimble players like Lin Quan, his advantages were nullified, but against traditional strikers like Costa, he could leverage his physicality, so his defensive success rate was high.
With that in mind, he decided not to engage Lin Quan one-on-one anymore, opting instead to work with teammates or leave him to agile defenders like Lahm.
Germany had two tactical setups; when ground penetration failed, they switched to wing play.
In the 39th minute, Germany initiated an attack from the wing.
Lahm's 45-degree cross from the right was disrupted by Piqué, preventing Klose from reaching the ball.
A minute later, Klose was fouled by Ramos just outside the box, leading to a verbal warning from the referee and a promising free kick for Germany.
Kroos aimed for Hummels at the back post with the free kick, but the pass was too predictable, and Ramos cleared it first.
Ramos's heading ability was a threat not only in offense but also in defense.
In the 41st minute, Schweinsteiger lofted a perfect pass from midfield, with Klose timing his run well.
It looked like Germany might get a clear shot, but Casillas was alert and rushed out to intercept before Klose could reach the ball.
The two collided and fell, but thankfully, neither was hurt and quickly resumed play after their teammates helped them up.
The game seemed to revert to its pre-goal pace.
Germany, desperate to equalize before halftime, and Spain, exploiting their eagerness, continuously attempted quick counterattacks.
The pace of the game increased, with fans on edge, not wanting to miss any action.
In the 42nd minute, Schweinsteiger tripped Iniesta in defense and received a yellow card.
A minute later, Lin Quan passed to Silva on the right, who sent the ball into the box. Germany's defenders cleverly stepped forward, catching Diego Costa offside just as he was about to celebrate the goal.
"Come on, that was offside? Those defenders were right in front of me..."
Costa quickly shut his mouth as the replay on the big screen clearly showed he was offside.
On the sidelines, Spain's Coach Bosque frowned.
Germany's offside trap had been effective today, with Costa caught offside several times.
During halftime, he planned to remind Costa to time his runs better and avoid falling into these traps.
In the final moments of the first half, Germany's attacks became frantic as they sought to equalize.
Spain, experienced and composed, began passing the ball around their backline to run down the clock.
Germany responded by committing more players to press high, hoping to force a turnover and counterattack.
Even Özil, who had seemed listless earlier, perked up, likely realizing he might face Löw's wrath at halftime.
Germany's pressing was somewhat effective, forcing Spain's defenders to send the ball forward.
Lin Quan, after receiving the ball, pulled it wide to avoid the densely packed midfield.
German players, red-eyed and not caring whether he was on the wing or in the middle, rushed at him as soon as they saw him with the ball.
Seeing this, Lin Quan quickly passed the ball away.
Iniesta, receiving the pass, was even more dramatically surrounded by four German players, prompting him to pass back to Lin Quan.
The German players were furious, accusing them of mockery for passing around in their own half.
"Not even letting you play cleanly!"
In a moment, five players charged at Lin Quan, this time not just targeting the ball but also the man.
Lin Quan didn't stay put but immediately sprinted along the wing with the ball.
Lahm stuck close to him, not giving him the chance to accelerate.
Meanwhile, Kramer attempted a fierce tackle, aiming to take Lin Quan down along with the ball.
Spanish fans gasped, foreseeing Lin Quan falling injured.
However, facing Kramer's tackle, Lin Quan deftly flicked the ball over and slipped past Lahm from outside the line, not only evading the tackle but also bypassing Lahm's positioning.
This skillful move dazzled the spectators, who cheered him on.
Unfortunately, Kroos was less appreciative and pulled Lin Quan back as he was about to break through.
Lin Quan lost his balance and fell.
The referee immediately blew the whistle, signaling a foul by Kroos.
With the game in the 44th minute and only one minute of stoppage time, the referee's free-kick call effectively dashed Germany's hopes of a counterattack.
Spain would surely use this free-kick to run down the clock, giving them no chance to attack.
Honestly, the free-kick's position wasn't great; not only was it close to the sideline, but it was also far from the goal.
But at such a time, what else do you need? Even if the referee had awarded them a free-kick in their own half, they would have planned it carefully.
Whether it worked was secondary; the main goal was to waste time.
Both Xavis, seasoned players, saw the referee's decision and pretended to discuss free-kick tactics at the sideline with Lin Quan.
"Who's taking it?"
Xavi Alonso asked, looking at Lin Quan and Xavi.
Alonso was known for his powerful and precise free-kicks, making him the best choice for such a distant shot.
"We could set up a play!"
Lin Quan glanced at the poised German players and felt a direct lob into the box might not work well.
"What's the plan?"
Both Xavis were curious, wondering what trick he had up his sleeve.
"We could do this..."
Lin Quan shared his idea, and both teammates lit up, giving him a thumbs-up.
"That could work!"
"I'll cover for you!"
The trio quickly assigned roles, with Alonso ultimately stepping up to the ball, while Lin Quan and Xavi positioned themselves at the top corners of the box.
The German players, suspecting that the Spaniards might not lob the ball directly into the box but opt for tactical play, assigned two players to leave the box to mark Lin Quan and Xavi.
Seeing the Germans' choice, Alonso couldn't help but smile.
Lin Quan had guessed right!
He stepped back and charged at the ball, swinging his leg and sending it into the box.
The German players were stunned.
The Spaniards had lobbed the ball directly into the box after all!
What happened to the tactical free-kick?
That's just not sportsmanlike!
Alonso's long pass, known for its precision, found Ramos in the box.
It was a link-up between two Real Madrid players!
Ramos leapt high, overpowering Hummels to reach the ball first.
Hummels, at 1.92 meters, was known for his heading ability.
Ramos, only 1.84 meters tall, managed to outjump him, showcasing peak heading skills.
But the physical contest with Hummels during the jump impacted his power.
Even though Ramos got to the ball first, if he couldn't reach it, Hummels knew how to prevent a goal, thanks to his defensive experience.
Affected by this, Ramos got a head to the ball, but the angle was off.
The ball clanged against the crossbar!
German fans were on edge as Ramos headed the ball, dreading another goal in the final seconds of the half.
Fortunately, their crossbar came to the rescue once more.
Seeing the ball rebound off the bar, Ramos clutched his head in frustration, wishing he could tear out his hair.
Damn Hummels, if not for his interference, that might have been a goal!
But that's what defenders do, expecting them to watch you shoot without acting is unrealistic.
Though Hummels succeeded defensively, his wary gaze remained on Ramos.
This guy, why is his heading so strong?
Hummels had defended against many forwards with excellent heading skills.
Ramos might not be a forward, but his heading ability would rank him among the top three of those forwards.
Did he choose the wrong position?
He should be playing forward, not defender!
After Spain's shot went wide, the stoppage time for the first half ran out.
The referee then blew the whistle to end the half.
At halftime, Spain led Germany 1-0.
They were just a half away from successfully defending their title!
(End of Chapter)
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